


Look But Don't Touch

by Kaito_Dragneel



Series: Paranormal Domino [4]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt, Fives needs a hug, Fives wants to hold his brothers, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Rex Needs a Hug, Rex and guilt, Tech is only mentioned really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-25
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23842921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaito_Dragneel/pseuds/Kaito_Dragneel
Summary: Fives had been filled with horror ever since Rex had told General Skywalker about what they had found at the communications relay. Echo, his beloved twin, was alive, and was a prisoner of the Separatist Army. He wasn’t about to let Rex leave on a suicide mission across enemy lines alone with this strange Bad Batch team and General Skywalker. He was coming along, even if they didn’t know it.
Relationships: CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555, CT-21-0408 | Echo & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 & CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Paranormal Domino [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1715857
Comments: 3
Kudos: 202





	Look But Don't Touch

Oh. Oh, Echo. _Oh, Echo, vod._ Fives swallowed heavily as he stared at Echo’s dangling and frozen form once the Bad Batch trooper, Tech, opened up the stasis pod that Echo’s signal was coming from. Echo was _thin_ , skin pale, eyes glassed over, ice covering his thin frame, eyes darting around. There were wire coming out of his skull and his spine, he was missing his right arm, his legs, and he had some cybernetic pieces in his back and in his skull. He looked _horrible_ and it made Fives sick. Fives turned his head away, cupping his mouth with his hand. He would throw up if he could. He knew they were canon fodder, even ARC Troopers. He knew prisoners of war happened in the war. He knew that you were lucky if they killed you instead of took you as a prisoner.

My god the Algorithm was _Echo._ They took him from the Citadel and then _tore_ into his mind, taking out all his secrets to use him against their brothers. They made him a weapon, a piece of hardware. Fives turned his head back to Rex and Echo, watching as his ori’vod seemed to come to the same realization that he had. Rex was shaking. Out of rage or guilt and pain, Fives wasn’t sure. Rex climbed up to the stasis and checked over Echo briefly.

“Tech find a way to unplug him from this… from this mess,” Rex ordered as he reached up to pull Echo down from the stasis pod, gently cradling him as he set Echo down on to the floor.

Echo shivered, eyes darting around as he chanted his number quietly. Fives whimpered, kneeling beside his twin, wishing now more than ever he could wrap his arms around him in order to comfort, but he _couldn’t_ , he couldn’t even touch his brothers. Echo shivered again as Fives curled his cold and invisible hands around his head, a phantom of cradling his brother’s skull. Fives pressed a phantom kiss to Echo’s forehead, ghostly tears shining in his eyes. His twin. His twin was _alive._ The last Domino.

“W-we have to get to the shuttle. No! I’ll go first…” Echo’s voice broke through finally and Fives’ heart broke into pieces.

Oh, Echo. What have they done to you? Fives could feel how cold Echo was, even through the phantom outlines of his body. Echo wasn’t just shivering out of the cold though; his mind was still working. He was still connected to the terminal. Tech seemed to be working on that. He didn’t like the Bad Batch too much, but he was thankful for their help in getting his brother back.

“Echo. Echo, I’m here. It’s Rex,” their Captain said, voice soft and broken as he moved next to Echo.

Fives pulled his hands back to watch Echo and Rex, watching as his ori’vod comforted his vod. Echo was pulled out of his memories and back into reality, reaching for Rex like a lifeline. Rex cradled the ARC Trooper close, guilt in his eyes. Fives reached out for them, freezing when his gaze landed on his transparent hand. He grit his teeth and clenched his fist, seething in anger. He couldn’t touch. _Fine._ He would watch over his brothers even if he couldn’t touch, just like he’s done for Rex, Kix, and Jesse.

“R-Rex? You came back for me?” Echo’s voice was underused, cracked, broken, soft, and hopeful. It tore at the remainder of Fives’ heart. How many times had Echo thought that he would be rescued? How _long_ had he been waiting?

Rex _visibly_ hesitated and Fives knew what he was thinking. No. No, he didn’t come back for him. And it would haunt him for the rest of his days. Rex had taken him and Echo under his wing after Rishi Station happened. Checking in on them every so often, keeping them close in battles, training them every so often. Then, after Kamino was attacked and they were told that they were being promoted to ARC Troopers, Rex had begun to train them personally. Fives could sometimes still _feel_ the bruises from the first time Rex had knocked him to the ground in a spar only for Fives to get right back up and be knocked back to the ground. Yes. He knew Rex would _never_ forgive himself for this.

“Y-yes. I did,” Rex said, nodding slowly, expression sad and guilty as he held Echo close.

Fives watched them for a long moment; he longed to hold them both, to cradle them in his arms and protect them. He couldn’t do that though. All he could do know was just watch over them. He could do that. He had promised after all.

“Echo, vod. I’m here. I couldn’t keep my promise on staying alive, but… we both made a promise to Rex to watch out for each other and I plan to keep that,” Fives promised quietly, voice a whisper, the sound making Echo twitch and turn his head to the side almost as if he had heard Fives.

Echo pulled his gaze back to Rex as their Captain said something to Tech, eyes still a little unfocused and shaking a little. He'd be alright. Fives was here to watch over him.


End file.
